Liturgy & Modernism: Frank Kacmarcik’s influence in Minnesota. An Online Virtual Presentation.
Thursday, October 16, 2025; 7pm CDT

Liturgy & Modernism: Frank Kacmarcik’s influence in Minnesota
Research Lecturer: Mary Dahlman Smith

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: 7pm CDT
​Watch Recorded Presentation

Frank Kacmarcik (1920-2004) was a Minnesota-based artist, liturgical consultant, designer, calligrapher, iconographer, and collector of fine art and manuscripts. He was a major influence in American religious art and architecture throughout the last half of the 20th Century, and an early practitioner of the Liturgical Movement in the Catholic Church during, and after the Vatican II Council.

Kacmarcik's scholarship took him around the world, though his home was firmly centered in Saint Paul, and Collegeville, Minnesota. His partnerships with architects Marcel Breuer, Ed Sovik, Val Michelson, George Rafferty, (and others) left a lasting impact on Places of Worship throughout Minnesota and across the country.

Mary Dahlman Smith presents new research in this livestream event focusing on Frank Kacmarcik's Influence in Minnesota, and the Modernist story of religious art and architecture in 20th century Places of Worship.

About the Presenter:
Mary Dahlman Smith is an architectural designer, researcher, and writer living in Chicago. She has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, South Dakota State University, and the University of Minnesota. Mary holds an M.Arch from the University of Minnesota and a B.Arts in American Studies from Carleton College. She co-founded Interesting Tactics, a design collaborative, and is a member of the Institute for Linear Research, a platform for studies of remoteness. Since 2020, Mary has been conducting thematic and site-specific research supporting the Docomomo US/MN Minnesota Modern Registry.

Additional Places of Worship Events Throughout October, Presented by Docomomo US/MN:


​About Docomomo US National Tour Day:
The only national program of its kind, Tour Day is devoted to the appreciation of modern architecture in the United States. Tours and events focused on architecture and design of the Modern Movement are hosted, coast-to-coast, by Docomomo US chapters, partners, and leading voices in preservation. 
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Exceptional and inspirational places of worship built in the mid-twentieth century exist in nearly every corner of the country. They often serve as community anchors – “third places” – where people come together to pray, to celebrate, and to support one another in times of need.  
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For many, including preservationists, historians, and architecture lovers, these sites uplift and inspire regardless of religious affiliation or denomination. And yet for every soaring ceiling, contemplative ray of light, moving element of art, and stained-glass adoration, places of worship and their congregations often struggle with maintenance, reuse, and continued relevancy in an ever-changing world. 

​Our thematic focus for 2025 is on the multitude of religious, spiritual and faith-based sites across the country – illuminating their distinct styles, development, and community impact. A deeper examination of this common typology furthers our understanding of Modern architecture and design in the United States.   

The creation of these uplifting structures, interiors, and landscapes often included a complex design fabric related to means of worship, rituals, and embedded iconography integral to specific denominations and storytelling. Spatial volumes, materials, light, sculpture, furniture, landscape, and decoration were intentionally designed to foster celebration and meditation.  

Today some of these sites are under threat because of underuse and surrounding development pressures. Deterioration of large structures that are overwhelming to small congregations, deferred maintenance and financial challenges are significant issues facing many historic sites. Due to the sheer number of this resource type, another challenge is documentation. 

We hope this theme encourages members of the public to seek out the midcentury churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other places of worship in their neighborhood or across the country.